President William Ruto has directed a comprehensive reorganisation of the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) as pressure mounts on Kenya to comply with international anti-doping standards.
Ruto's order on Thursday, October 2, came in the wake of warnings from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over ADAK’s alleged non-compliance.
Speaking on Thursday, October 2, during a breakfast with Kenya's athletic heroes at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Ruto admitted there was a need for urgent reforms within ADAK to align the agency with best global practice as he instructed the Ministry of Sports to inject professionalism into the agency’s operations and ensure it adheres to international standards.
“We will do whatever it takes, and my instructions to Waziri are we reorganise ADAK properly and inject professionalism,” the President said.
“Make sure you work with best practice, best international standards so that we can continue sports in Kenya with the integrity it deserves.”
The directive follows a report by WADA’s Compliance Review Committee, which cited multiple gaps in Kenya’s anti-doping regulations, rules, and legislation. The audit, conducted in May 2024, found Kenya in breach of several requirements under the World Anti-Doping Code.
WADA subsequently gave the ADAK 21 days to respond to the allegations or face a set of unspecified consequences, with the grace period ending on October 2 for Kenya to demonstrate full compliance with international standards.
Failure to meet WADA’s compliance standards could lead to serious consequences for Kenya, including a potential ban from international competitions, disqualification of athletes, or suspension of funding from global sports bodies.
While commending the Ministry for working with WADA, Ruto also stressed the importance of protecting promising athletes from individuals with harmful intentions.
“I must commend the Ministry for working with WADA. Kenya is a great sporting nation, and we don’t want our sportsmen and women to be adulterated by anybody. Make sure that as we support our sportsmen and women, we also make sure that characters who have no good intention do not get in the way of the talents of our young people,” the Head of State added.
Interestingly, Ruto's remarks came just days after the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced the suspension of Cornelius Kibet Kiplagat, who inadvertently injected himself with a banned substance.
According to the AIU, the athlete admitted to the use of substances after providing an out-of-competition urine sample on July 29.
On funding of sports, Ruto also reiterated that funding for sports must be used responsibly. He stated that all resources from the Sports Fund will be dedicated solely to developing sports talent and infrastructure across the country.
